A persistent problem particularly prevalent in connection with coin-operated vending machines is tampering with locks of the type conventionally employed to secure a coin box. Normally such locks are quite accessible, and therefore, they are relatively easy prey to persons skilled at lock picking.
Attempts have been made in the past to increase the difficulty in opening such locks. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,296,842 which issued to William A. Auerbach and A. Kurimky on Oct. 1, 1967 and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,284 granted to George W. Krise on Mar. 18, 1975, the devices used to hold coin boxes in place are rendered relatively inaccessible by concealing them by removable lock members. With these members removed, special tools are employed to actuate the box-securing devices. However, a shortcoming of such prior art arrangements is that once an intruder gets past the removable lock, he can fashion a tool which will open all box securing devices of this type. Thus, while these known arrangements initially make it somewhat difficult for an unauthorized person to unlock the securing arrangement, once he has learned how to do so, further intrusions are relatively simple.